Cheesy, savory, and creamy with a toasted, buttery top broccoli gratin is about to become the most requested vegetable by your family.
Broccoli Gratin
Roasting has been my go-to of late for vegetables, but every once in a while I do get the urge to change things up a bit. Cheese is a good way to change things up.
Even when changing things up I stick to my number one rule when it comes to vegetables. No flavorless mush. Years of steaming or boiling frozen vegetables is still in the back of my mind. And I am not going there again.
This Broccoli Gratin is crisp like roasted broccoli with a heavenly creamy cheesy sauce. I’m willing to bet that if you’ve tried a broccoli gratin in the past and been unimpressed, this recipe will change your mind forever.
When making broccoli gratin, start with fresh broccoli florets. Make it easy and buy them pre-cut or it only takes a few minutes to cut your own florets from a few heads of broccoli. You can save the stems and make vegetable stock or soup later.
I place the fresh florets directly into a casserole dish for baking. They will still be just ever so slightly firm when done – remember that no mush rule of mine.
However, if you prefer your broccoli gratin to be more tender, feel free to steam it for 3-4 minutes prior to layering it with cheese. Personally, we like it to remain crisp and tender after baking.
What is broccoli gratin you ask? I honestly had to research this to find out exactly what made this dish a “gratin”. Gratins simply means that it is topped with cheese or buttered bread crumbs and then baked or broiled until crispy and brown on top.
I don’t know about you but that just sounds like a lot of deliciousness. I am on a mission to turn all the things into a gratin now. Toasted cheese and buttery bread crumbs, let’s go!
Broccoli Au Gratin
- butter
- all-purpose flour
- whole milk
- kosher salt
- granulated garlic or garlic powder
- granulated onion or onion powder
- freshly ground black pepper
- broccoli florets
- freshly grated sharp Cheddar
- bread crumbs plain or Italian work well
Broccoli Au Gratin Recipe
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, melt a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and stir quickly to coat. Saute, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes, until toasted. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate, and let cool.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter (in the same skillet used for the breadcrumbs) over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the milk, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- While the sauce is simmering, trim the broccoli florets as needed for small bite-size pieces. Place the broccoli in the greased baking dish, sprinkle with half of the cheese and pour sauce over the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs.
- Bake the broccoli gratin until lightly browned and bubbly, about 26-32 minutes. Serve warm.
Cauliflower and Broccoli Recipes
Broccoli is actually quite a versatile vegetable that can be enjoyed so many ways, with cheese is high on that list.
Cheddar cheese sauce was meant for vegetables. This cheese sauce for vegetables is creamy, flavorful, and rich. It is a staple in our home. We love it best on broccoli!
Pan Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan is a classic cheese and broccoli combination that is elevated with a sweet note from a sprinkling of brown sugar.
Is broccoli gratin not your thing? Cauliflower Gratin is fresh cauliflower with a sprinkling of cheese and a light cream sauce topped with buttery crumbs.
Crispy, toasty, and ever so slightly cheesy, I can make an entire meal out of this garlic parmesan roasted broccoli.
Broccoli Gratin
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- ½ cup bread crumbs plain or Italian work well
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon granulated onion or onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds broccoli florets about 12 cups worth
- 1 cup freshly grated sharp Cheddar about 4 ounces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, melt a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and stir quickly to coat. Saute while stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, until toasted. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate, and let cool.
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of the butter (in the same skillet used for the breadcrumbs) over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the milk, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper and bring to a boil while whisking constantly.
- Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- While the sauce is simmering, trim the broccoli florets as needed for small bite-size pieces. Place the broccoli in the greased baking dish, sprinkle with half of the cheese and pour sauce over the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs.
- Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 26-32 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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